Performance Optimization

Launchpad is designed to be efficient, but there are several ways to optimize its performance for different scenarios.

Reducing Installation Time

Parallel Installations

When installing multiple packages, consider splitting them into batches, when useful:

# Instead of installing all at once
launchpad install node@22 python@3.12 ruby@3.3 go@1.23 rust@1.82

# Split into parallel installations
launchpad install node@22 python@3.12 &
launchpad install ruby@3.3 go@1.23 rust@1.82 &
wait

Installation Location

Installing to a location that doesn't require sudo can be faster:

# Use a user-specific installation location
launchpad install --path ~/.local node@22

Force Reinstall Wisely

The --force flag bypasses existing installation checks, which can be slower:

# Only use force when needed
launchpad install --force node  # Only when you actually need to reinstall

Optimizing Shim Performance

Direct Shims

For frequently used binaries, consider using direct shims that don't require the full pkgx resolution:

# Create a custom efficient shim
cat > ~/.local/bin/node << EOF
#!/bin/sh
# Direct path to reduce overhead
exec ~/.pkgx/pkgx.sh/node/v16.14.2/bin/node "$@"
EOF
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/node

Optimized PATH Order

Arrange your PATH for optimal lookup performance:

# Put frequently used directories earlier in your PATH
export PATH="~/.local/bin:$PATH"  # This will be checked first

Cache Management

Clear pkgx Cache

pkgx maintains its own cache that can sometimes become large:

# Clear pkgx cache
rm -rf ~/.pkgx/cache/*

Optimize Download Cache

Preserve downloaded packages to avoid re-downloading:

# Set environment variable to preserve downloads
export PKGX_KEEP_DOWNLOADS=1
launchpad install node@22

Configuration Optimization

Disable Verbose Logging

Verbose logging adds overhead:

# In configuration
{
  "verbose": false
}

# Or on the command line
launchpad install --no-verbose node

Adjust Timeout and Retries

Optimize timeout and retry settings for your network conditions:

# In configuration
{
  "timeout": 30000,  # 30 seconds instead of default 60
  "maxRetries": 2    # Only retry twice instead of default 3
}

Memory Usage Optimization

Clean Up After Large Installations

Some packages can consume significant memory during installation:

# After installing large packages, run garbage collection
launchpad pkgx  # Reinstall pkgx to clean up

Auto-update Configuration

Disable auto-updates if you prefer manual control:

# Disable auto-updates
launchpad autoupdate:disable

System-Specific Optimizations

macOS

On macOS, prefer /usr/local for system-wide installations:

# Use /usr/local on macOS
launchpad install --path /usr/local node@22

Linux

On Linux, prefer user-specific installations unless you need system-wide access:

# Use ~/.local on Linux for user-specific installations
launchpad install --path ~/.local node@22

Windows

On Windows, prefer shorter paths to avoid path length limitations:

# Use a shorter path on Windows
launchpad install --path C:\pkgs node@22

CI/CD Pipeline Optimization

For continuous integration environments:

# Install only what you need
launchpad install node  # Just the specific package

# Use a persistent cache directory
PKGX_CACHE_DIR=/ci-cache launchpad install node@22@22

Monitoring Performance

You can time Launchpad commands to identify bottlenecks:

# Time a command
time launchpad install node@22@22

# More detailed profiling
/usr/bin/time -v launchpad install node@22@22

Network Performance

If you're in an environment with limited bandwidth:

# Set a longer timeout
launchpad install --timeout 120000 node@22  # 2 minutes

Environment Management Performance

Environment Cleanup

Regular environment cleanup improves performance and saves disk space:

# Clean up old environments regularly
launchpad env:clean --older-than 7 --force

# Preview cleanup to understand disk usage
launchpad env:clean --dry-run

Environment Hash Optimization

The new readable hash format is more efficient than the old base64 format:

• Faster directory lookups - Shorter, more predictable names
• Better filesystem performance - Avoids special characters that can slow down some filesystems
• Reduced memory usage - Shorter strings use less memory in directory listings

Monitoring Environment Disk Usage

Track environment disk usage to identify cleanup opportunities:

# List environments sorted by size (requires jq)
launchpad env:list --format json | jq -r 'sort_by(.size) | reverse | .[] | "\(.projectName): \(.size)"'

# Find large environments
launchpad env:list --verbose | grep -E '[0-9]+[0-9][0-9]M|[0-9]+G'

Optimizing Environment Activation

For faster environment activation:

# Use the fast activation path when packages are already installed
# This automatically happens when you re-enter a project directory
cd my-project  # Fast activation if environment already exists

Environment Storage Location

Consider the storage location for environments:

# Use faster storage for environments if available
export LAUNCHPAD_ENV_BASE_DIR=/fast-ssd/launchpad/envs

Batch Environment Operations

When managing multiple environments:

# Use JSON output for efficient scripting
envs=$(launchpad env:list --format json)
echo "$envs" | jq -r '.[] | select(.packages == 0) | .hash' | xargs -I {} launchpad env:remove {} --force